Where Do We Go
by shulesaddict77
Summary: They had decided to not give up on this. But neither of them had expected this outcome. Follow-up story to 2x25.
1. Chapter 1

**This is brought to you by a very, very, VERY happy and pleased shipper. The finale was awesome. AWESOME!**

**Disclaimer: Nope! They don't belong to me. **

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**Chapter 1**

"Where are we going, Nick?" Jess asked, turning in her seat to look at him.

"I don't know." Nick shrugged one shoulder, drumming with his hand a beat against the wheel before he started to sing, completely off-key. "Where do we ...?"

"If you say it one more time I'm gonna smack you." Jess threatened him, hitting his arm playfully.

"It's a classic, Jess." Nick said with mock hurt in his voice.

"It's not a classic." Jess replied, rolling her eyes.

Her hand tightened around the door handle as Nick suddenly took a sharp right turn, the car rumbling over a deserted road which had seen better days and she was thrown from side to side in her seat as Nick tried to avoid the deeper potholes.

"Do you have any idea where this road leads?"

"Nope. But it looks secluded."

"Secluded?" Jess inquired, her gaze falling from his face as he stopped the car and she stared out the windshield, taking in their surroundings. "That looks like a place that teenagers would frequent when they want to make out."

"Yup! Perfect spot for that."

"So you wanna make out with me?" Jess asked, not able to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Definitely. Later." Nick grinned, opening his door and getting out of the car. Popping his head back in, he gave her a dazzling smile. "Right now I just want to lie down on the hood and watch the stars with you, if you don't mind."

"I'm really starting to like this romantic side of you." Jess smiled as he walked around the car to her door and opened it for her, wrapping his hand around hers and pulling her into his embrace.

Giving the hood a scrutinizing look, Nick cocked his head and threw her a sheepish look. "When I thought of the idea I didn't take into account that the hood might be way too dirty to lie down on it."

"I don't care. I want to look at the stars with you."

"Wait a sec." Nick walked around the still open door and leaned into the car, grabbing his jacket and returning to her, he threw it over her shoulders, pulling it close under her chin. "We don't want you to get cold."

Slipping into the sleeves, she hugged the jacket around her form, smiling broadly as her hands almost disappeared under the lapels. "I like wearing your clothes."

"You do?"

"Yeah. They smell like you."

"You mean as if I slept in them for days?" Nick asked. "That turns you on?"

"No. They don't smell like sweat, it's just ... never mind."

"By the way, what happened to my hoodie? The one you wore while you were trying to seduce me because you wanted the parking spot? I just realized I didn't see it since then."

Nick turned his head as she didn't reply immediately and watching her intently a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Are you blushing, Jessica?"

"No, I'm not blushing, Nicholas." Jess said firmly. "You can't even see if I'm blushing or not."

"You _are_ blushing!" Nick chuckled, enjoying her obvious squirming. "What did you do with it?"

"I might have slept in it." Jess admitted reluctantly.

"Why?"

"Because you were driving me nuts with the whole 'staring at me as if you want to jump me any second' and I was mad at myself for wanting you so much. Every night I told myself I would not wear it, that I would smuggle it into your laundry the next day so that you would never find out that I had held on to it in the first place. But every night I stared at it and just put it on. I know it's silly. I just wanted to feel you near me and your hoodie ... it just made me feel good, okay?"

"It's not silly at all, Jess." Nick replied softly, pulling her close, pressing his lips gently against hers for a quick peck before he leaned back and said. "Shall we watch the stars now?"

They needed a few minutes until they found a more or less comfortable position on the hood but finally they settled down, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, her fingers intertwined with his and for a few minutes they were lying in complete silence staring up at the sky, enjoying each other's company, enjoying the beauty of the moment after the hectic day they'd just had.

But Jess knew that they still needed to talk about the issue because she could not let him think that he was not good enough for her. Turning her head slightly, she pressed a kiss against his jaw and lifting her hand she pulled his head around.

Cupping his face, she held his gaze, her mouth tilting up into a small smile as she spoke quietly. "Nick, I _am_ scared. I admit that. I am scared that we might screw this up. But not because of the reason you mentioned."

"You don't think I'm too much of a mess?" Nick asked, his voice as soft as hers and Jess shook her head slightly.

"I'm scared because if this doesn't end well I might lose one of my best friends and I don't want to lose you, Nick. I need you in my life. A small part of me was relieved when you made me admit it but then you were standing in front of me, telling me we should call it off and all of a sudden this small part wasn't important anymore because a much bigger part of me was crushed that we didn't give us a try. Because I want this. I want you, Nick."

"I just needed a reminder that if something scares you, you don't have to run away. You can face it and I'm not facing it alone. You are right by my side. We are in this together and it might be scary as hell but as I was sitting at the bar listening to Winston telling me that running away is only one option ... I suddenly realized that it doesn't matter how scared I am because not being with you ... I don't know what has gotten into me, Jess. I should never have suggested that we should call it off. Because one night with you isn't nearly enough. I never wanted to give up on us. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt you by letting you think that I don't want you. Even if it was only for a few minutes."

"I should have told you immediately that I don't want to call it off. I know you think you might be not good enough for me. But that's not true, Nick. I like who you are. If you would change you wouldn't be you anymore and I want this Nick Miller. You don't have to change for me."

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead before he pulled her back against his shoulder and Jess turned around, wrapping her arm around his waist, burying her face in his neck. Suddenly she could feel him vibrating under her, a soft chuckle reaching her ears and she leaned back, looking up at him curiously, wondering what he was so amused about.

"Who would have thought that we are starting a relationship while Schmidt is caught in a love triangle?" Nick answered her silent question. "Now he is the one who is messing with his precious loft dynamic because this is going to become one hell of a triangle."

"What do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who will he choose?" Jess asked.

"I don't know, Jess." Nick replied. "Elizabeth knows him inside out, she loves him for who he really is and I'm not sure if Cece really knows him."

"She might not know every facade of him but she still loves him. She called off her wedding because of him and he was the one who realized that she didn't want to get married. He only needed to share one look with her to practically hear her silent cry of help. That's actually quite impressive."

"Yeah, it is. But no matter who he'll choose he will break someone's heart."

"That's inevitable."

"I might be an unhealthy person but right now my life is a lot less messy than Schmidt's." Nick stated, letting out a chuckle before he almost choked on his next breath as Jess' fingers opened two buttons of his shirt and her hand slipped through the opening, her fingers caressing his skin and he inhaled a deep breath, croaking out hoarsely. "What are you doing, Jess?"

"I think it's time for the making out." Jess replied, pulling her hand back out of his shirt and starting to work on the rest of the buttons.

"Is it?" Nick asked.

"I told you I would bust you hard." Jess told him, raising her head to press her lips on his, her tongue meeting his hungrily as she tore his shirt out of his pants and swatted it away, her hands roaming ravenously over his stomach.

"Jess?" Nick mumbled under her lips.

"Hmm?" Jess replied, not really paying attention as she skimmed her fingers along the waistband of his pants.

"I don't think this will work."

"But ... you said ... I thought ..." Jess jerked back, her eyes widening in shock and she already scrambled backwards but Nick tightened his hand around her arm and pulled her back.

"Oh no! I'm not talking about us!" Nick said quickly. "I'm talking about doing it on the hood. We are going to tumble down any second."

"Oh! Right! Sure!" Jess replied, not able to suppress a giggle as she slipped down from the hood and stretching a hand out towards him, she waited for him to take it.

Slipping his hand in hers, he pushed himself from the hood, coming to stand right beside her and a shiver ran down his spine as Jess leaned forward and pressed her lips against his collar bone.

"I'm way too old to do it in the car." Nick said, threading his fingers into her hair and pressing her gently backwards he searched her gaze before he continued. "I have a blanket in the trunk but the ground looks a little uncomfortable. Maybe we should ..."

"We can just throw the blanket on the table over there." Jess cut him off hastily.

"But Jess we ..."

Wrapping her hand around his tie, she yanked him forward, interrupting him mid-sentence and stomping around the car with him in tow she pushed the trunk open and pulled the blanket out and almost ran towards the table, not letting her grip soften one bit around his tie, forcing him to follow her.

As she reached the table Nick lifted his hand, pulling her fingers gently away from the tie. "I won't be any good for you if you strangle me."

"I'm sorry." Jess whispered, averting her gaze to the ground. She was acting like a crazed nymphomaniac.

"Jess?"

"I just can't wait any longer." Jess murmured. "I need you, Nick."

She could hear his breath quicken and a satisfied smile spread out on her face. Throwing the blanket on the table, she hopped up and leaning forward she hooked one finger behind his belt and yanked him forward so that he was standing between her legs.

Without giving him the chance to talk them out of it, her fingers swiftly opened his belt, lowering the zipper of his pants and Nick lifted his hands, starting to tug at her clothes.

"How exactly do I get this thing off?" Nick asked slightly exasperated.

"It's pretty easy. Look. You only have to tug this out of the loop and it pretty much unravels itself."

"Very practical." Nick said huskily, his eyes taking in the sight in front of him. Her blue kaftan, or however this kind of clothing was called in India, was slipping over her skin and revealing her body only clad in underwear.

Leaning forward he pressed his lips against hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth, engaging her in a passionate kiss. Letting one finger trail along her jaw, down her throat and lower over her chest, he enjoyed the shiver that ran over her body as he skimmed over her stomach and lifting his other hand he slipped his fingers under the waistband of her panties, sliding from her stomach towards her hip and stopping with his hands wrapped around her hips he locked eyes with her, pushing his fingers gently into her skin, indicating silently that she should raise her hips so that he could push the panties down her legs.

Without hesitation Jess pushed herself up and Nick slipped her panties over her thighs, letting them fall onto the ground and a deep groan rumbled out of his throat as his gaze fell immediately between her legs.

"If we would be in a bed I would go down on you right now but considering the circumstances I'm gonna postpone it."

"Nick, get in me."

Slipping out of his shoes, he stepped out of his pants, not bothering with taking off his socks as he stepped between her legs, shuddering slightly as he brushed against her.

"God, Jess." Nick groaned. Realizing that he'd forgotten to put a condom on, he wanted to step back but Jess put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"We don't need one."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

She wanted to feel him in her, really feel him. She didn't want anything between them and she drew him back between her legs.

"I didn't imagine our second night would start on a random picnic table in the middle of nowhere." Nick spoke hoarsely.

Gripping the lapels of his open shirt, she pulled him closer and with her lips only inches away from his she whispered. "I like it. It's kind of adventurous and a little thrilling. Having sex in a place where there is a small possibility that we get caught."

"Right. We should probably ..."

Jess slipped one hand under his shirt, trailing her fingers over his hip. "You are not going anywhere, Nicholas."

He wanted her as much as she wanted him and he finally gave up any resistance and tightening his hands around her waist, he pushed forward, entering her slowly and Jess fell back on her elbows, her mouth opening in a silent moan as he slipped completely into her.

Pulling out of her almost entirely, he put his hands beside her body and as he leaned forward he altered the angle before he pushed into her again and a strangled groan escaped her as he started to thrust into her in a steady pace.

Wrapping her legs around him, she drew him even closer and Nick leaned down on his elbows, meeting her hungry lips, kissing her passionately, his thrusts becoming harder and faster as he pushed them both closer and closer to their release until Jess finally exploded around him, taking him with her almost instantly.

Breathing hard he pressed his head against her shoulder, trying to calm down his galloping heart. Her fingers threaded through his hair, one hand trailing down his spine and her soft voice reached his ears. "I'm so glad you didn't say no."

Pushing himself up he looked down at her, shifting his weight on his left hand so that he was able to lift his right to brush his thumb over her lips. "I could never say no to you, Jess. Never."

Maybe she should feel ashamed that they were lying on a cheap blanket on a picnic table almost naked. But she hadn't lied to him. She couldn't wait. She needed to feel him in her. After this draining day full of conflicted emotions she needed him to reassure her that they were okay. She needed to not only hear it but also feel it that they were not calling it off. That they were not giving up.

After a few minutes Nick straightened himself and helped her up and leaning down he pulled his pants on again before he closed the buttons of his shirt and Jess, who had been a lot quicker with getting her clothes back in order, stepped closer, leaning against him, her arms tightening around him.

"We should probably go home now. The others might already wonder where we are."

"Let's go to Vegas." Nick said completely out of nowhere.

"Vegas?" Jess asked incredulously.

"Yes, Vegas!" Nick replied, slipping his arms around her and pulling her flush against his body. "Let's be crazy."

Looking up into his eyes, she couldn't help being infected by his enthusiasm and a huge smile spread over her face. "Okay! Let's go to Vegas."

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**Yeah, your eyes didn't deceive you. You really read the words '**_Chapter 1_**' at the beginning. It was intended to be only a one-shot but then the ending sneaked up on me and gave me a ton of ideas where I could take this story. So, this is going to be a multi-chapter fic. :-)**

**I still have a butt load of episodes to watch since I'm a TV junkie and being obsessed with Nick and Jess and Captain Swan kept me so busy over the last few weeks that I neglected all my other shows. So, let me just catch up on all my shows and just revel in the awesomeness of my OTP's for a few days and I promise after that I intend to update regularly. Because we have over four months of hiatus in front of us and we need to fill the time somehow, right?**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is a really short chapter. But I was in the mood to write it and I love me some cliffhanger. Why a cliffhanger, you ask? Because I'm a tease. :-)**

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**Chapter 2**

Her head would explode any second. Turning around slowly, Jess let out a loud groan as her stomach flipped with the movement and she stayed every motion immediately, hoping her stomach would calm down before she had to run to the bathroom and throw up. Trying to take in long and steady breaths, she waited with closed eyes until her stomach had settled down before she opened her eyes cautiously, wincing when the light hit them.

God damn it! This was a hell of a hangover!

She would never ever drink anything again! Never ever!

Stretching out her hand carefully, she poked Nick between his ribs repeatedly, trying to wake him up. Because she would not suffer through this hangover alone. He had to suffer with her. After all he should have put a stop to it. A small voice in her head told her that she didn't need him to tell her when to stop drinking because she was an adult. She should know when to stop. But her head was hammering and her stomach felt extremely queasy and she had to blame someone. So she would just blame him.

"Go away!" Nick grumbled, swatting at her hand. "I'm not gonna stand up. Unless you want me to puke all over the floor."

"We are never ever drinking any alcohol again." Jess said, leaning back into the pillow and laying an arm over her eyes, she shut out the insanely bright light for a minute before she would try to get up.

"Agreed." Nick mumbled and grabbing the pillow, he turned on his side and put the pillow over his head, clearly wanting to just sleep the hangover off.

But her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth, her throat felt like a desert and she needed to do something against the headache. Slipping her legs slowly out of the bed, she put them on the ground, pulling herself up as carefully as possible and standing up slowly she raised her hand to her head, trying to stop the spinning. It felt as if it would fall off her shoulders any second. She needed aspirin. Lots of aspirin.

Scuffling into the living room, she went in search of her bag. She was sure she'd bought some Advil yesterday. They were staying in the penthouse suite of the Bellagio after they'd hit an insanely prosperous winning streak on their first day and they'd both agreed on spending some of the money on one of the best hotel rooms in the city.

Looking around Jess wondered if they'd blown all their winnings last night but she actually saw the bag with their chips laying on the ground and one glance told her that it was still half filled with chips of various colors. So apparently they hadn't been that wasted to throw all the money away or it had just been beginner's luck.

Right now Jess didn't care much about the money. She needed to take something against the headache immediately. Finding the bottle of aspirin, she opened it and shook two pills out of it and after a few seconds of hesitation she added two more. Searching for a glass of water she saw the open bottle of champagne on the window sill and eying it for a brief moment, she just shrugged her shoulders and went to get it.

"What the hell!" Jess mumbled, grabbing the bottle and gulping the pills down with the bubbling alcohol, suppressing a shudder as the champagne hit her stomach.

She would just lay down on the couch for a few minutes until the pills would start working and then she would go to the mini bar and drink two bottles of water and order some breakfast. After she'd taken a break.

Slumping down on the couch she raised her left hand to rub it over her face and suddenly she caught a glimmer out of the corner of her eye and took a second look. Her eyes widened in surprise and she stretched out her fingers, not believing what she was seeing right in front of her.

Why hadn't she noticed it before?

It couldn't be true. No way. She refused to believe that they'd been that drunk. This had to be a joke. Her eyes flitted across the room and then her gaze fell on a paper in the middle of the table and with a sense of foreboding she stood up from the couch and stepped closer, taking the paper into her trembling hands.

There it was. Both their signatures at the bottom of the page.

It wasn't a joke. No joke at all. The paper in her hand confirmed it. She wasn't hallucinating. This wasn't a dream she would wake up from. It was right in front of her. In black and white. With all the needed signatures and official seals.

It looked real. It didn't look like a fake. But it had to be a fake. It just had to.

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**Okay, I don't think that's really a cliffhanger because … seriously guys … they are in Vegas. VEGAS! Yeah, I'm sure you have already figured it out what happened. :-) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! It makes me really happy that you like the story. So shall we dive into it? You know, the whole marriage thing. ;-)**

_Amiserablelove25_** wanted to see some flashbacks and her wish is my command, so you'll get two flashbacks in this chapter. Might add more in future chapters but for now there will be two. :-)**

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**Chapter 3**

"Oh my God!" Jess' hand around the back of the chair tightened, her knees suddenly giving out under her and she slumped down on the chair, almost missing it, her eyes flickering back and forth between the ring on her finger and the marriage certificate in her hand.

She was married to Nick? She couldn't be married to Nick. Just three days ago they talked about calling it off and now she was Mrs. Jessica Miller?

This was the apex of stupidity. They didn't even clarify yet what this thing between them was. How the hell could they have gotten married?

She was racking her brain, trying to remember what had happened but her memories were just a messy blur. The last things she could remember were the craps table and then the bull riding. Closing her eyes, she went back to that moment in her mind, hoping that reliving it might jog her memory.

~N&J~

"_Jesssssicccaaa?" Nick's voice reached her ear and she turned around to him as his arm went around her waist and pulled her into his body._

"_Yes, Nicholas?" Jess grinned, wrapping her hands around his neck._

"_You need to spit on my hand. For good luck!" Nick replied, trusting his closed fist in front of her eyes, almost knocking her out and she stumbled backwards as she leaned back to avoid it, her arms tightening around his neck so that she wouldn't lose her balance. _

"_What did you bet on?" Jess asked, realizing that they were both a little bit more than tipsy but they had won an insane amount of money so far. So why not enjoy it?_

"_A nine."_

"_Then a nine it is." Jess said and fake spitted on his hand but before he could throw the dice she grabbed his wrist and pressed a kiss against his knuckles, her eyes glittering mischievously as she pulled his head down, giving him another kiss directly on his mouth and when his lips opened under hers they completely forgot for a second where they were until the catcalls and protests reached their ears and they pulled apart, both grinning from ear to ear and Nick lifted his hand and with a swift move of his wrist he threw the dice over the table, both following the roll excitedly and as the dice came to a stop, one showed a six and the other a three._

"_We won!" Jess exclaimed, starting an impromptu chicken dance and Nick joined her almost immediately, making the people around them either laugh or shake their heads. _

_A little out of breath after the third round Jess stopped dancing and slipped her arms around Nick's waist, leaning her head against his chest for a second before she drew away and grabbed their winnings from the table and shoved the chips into her bag, intertwining her fingers with his and pulling him away. "I want to bull ride." _

"_You want what?"_

"_Bull riding."_

"_We are gonna puke all over the place."_

"_Nah! It's going to be fun." Jess insisted, almost dragging him towards the bull riding arena. "Come on, Miller. Afraid that you'll get beat by a woman?"_

"_A challenge, Mrs. Day?" Nick asked, throwing her a cocky grin. "You're so on."_

~N&J~

They'd actually managed to get on the bull together and of course they had been thrown off within seconds but she could still remember how much fun it had been. But after getting thrown off for the fourth time her head had started spinning and they had staggered out of the bull riding arena. But somehow she'd considered it a great idea to settle her upset stomach and spinning head with another round of cocktails and everything after that was just a blur, just random pictures popping up in her brain but nothing concrete.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned around, her eyes wandering to the bed. It was time to face the music. Her fingers played nervously with the ring and since she wanted to prolong the inevitable just for a little while longer she took a closer look.

It was a beautiful piece and if they had still been able to be coherent enough to buy rings she would bet it was platinum. Slipping it from her finger, she held it towards the light, tilting it back and forth, searching for an inscription and her breath hitched in her throat as she saw the engraving.

_I will always have your back_

The letters began to swim before her eyes as tears blurred her vision. Somehow reading the engraving calmed her down a little bit. She didn't marry some stranger. She married Nick. She wasn't alone in this. They would deal with it together.

After his freak-out. Because the freak-out would be inevitable.

But there was no point in waiting any longer and slipping the ring back on her finger, she straightened her back, walking slowly towards the bed and sitting down beside him, she settled her hand between his shoulder blades, spreading out her fingers and the light sparkled in the facades of the ring, making her mouth tilt up into a soft smile. It was time to wake up her husband.

"Nicholas!" Jess said softly, shaking his shoulder gently.

"I'm still sleeping." Nick mumbled under the pillow, pulling the blanket up so that Jess could hardly see his face. Realizing that she wouldn't get him to stand up with gentleness, she curled her hands around the pillow and blanket and yanked them away, a satisfied grin curling up her mouth as he pressed his eyes shut, his right hand going to his head as he groaned. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Show me your left hand!" Jess replied, suddenly aware that the obvious expansiveness of her ring suggested that they might have bought matching bands.

"What?" Nick opened one eye, looking up at her confused.

"Just show me your hand." Jess repeated urgently.

"Why do you wanna ..." Nick's voice trailed off as he held his left hand towards her and noticing the foreign shimmer on his ring finger, his eyes flickered to her left hand and widened in shock as he saw the matching band on her hand. "No way!"

"Yes, way!" Jess said, getting up on her knees when Nick jumped out of the bed, almost hitting the ground face first as his foot got caught in the sheet. "We apparently got married yesterday."

"What? We … that can't be ..." Nick stumbled on his feet, shooting her a quick glance before he suddenly moved backwards, sliding his feet over the ground.

"Don't you dare panic-moonwalk away from me! Not now!" Jess shouted, jumping up from the bed and following him through the living room. But Nick didn't say anything and panic-moonwalked straight into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Nicholas Miller!" Jess rattled at the door handle before she pounded with her fist against the door. "Open the door! Right now!"

Nick pressed his shaking hands against the sink and lifted his gaze, looking at his reflection. He was eerily pale, though he couldn't determine if it was due to the hangover or the shock about them being married. His eyes fell on his hand, the ring seeming to mock him.

His breath quickened and he felt his throat closing up, fearing that he was standing on the brink of a panic attack and he stumbled backwards, hitting the door hard and sliding down to the ground, he drew his knees up, letting his head drop forward and closing his eyes, he forced himself to take in deep, slow breaths.

There had to be an explanation for all of this. He just needed to remember what had happened last night. Propping his chin up on his knees, he stared at the jacuzzi in the corner of the bath room, recalling the last thing from the previous night he could clearly remember.

~N&J~

"_What's next?" Nick asked as he pulled another ball of sugar from the pink cotton candy in his hand. "What do you wanna do?"_

"_Strip club." Jess replied without hesitation, reaching for the cotton candy._

"_Strip club?" Nick almost choked on the candy in his mouth, the stick probably would have dropped out of his hand onto the street if Jess hadn't plucked it out of his hand. Looking at her suspiciously, he rubbed his sticky fingers over his pants before he asked carefully. "You mean I have to watch men in police uniforms ripping the clothes off their bodies?"_

"_Yeah, we will watch that, too." Jess rushed a few feet ahead before she swirled around and walked backwards, giving him a mischievous grin. "But first I want to see pole dancing."_

"_You mean you want to see a woman pole dancing?" Nick questioned, not liking the idea a little bit. _

"_Yep."_

"_I'm not gonna go in this kind of strip club with you, Jess." Nick said horrified. "No way."_

"_Don't be a spoilsport, Nick." Jess replied, giving him an adorable pout, knowing damn well that he couldn't deny her anything when she was looking at him like that._

_A few minutes later they were sitting in a dimly lit club, a woman wrapping her body around the pole on the stage in front of them and Nick groaned inwardly. This was a nightmare. Men weren't supposed to watch half naked women twisting their bodies into impossible positions while their girlfriend was sitting right beside them. _

"_Wow! Did you see that?" Jess asked, hitting his shoulder with her fist. "This woman is very flexible."_

_Nick let out an almost inaudible groan, looking around frantically for a waiter. He needed a drink. A lot of drinks._

~N&J~

He couldn't remember much after the strip club other than being pretty certain that they'd stopped at a men show with the obligatory firemen and police officer outfits, his alcohol consumption sky-rocketing since he had been surrounded by screeching women, demanding from the men on the stage to drop everything.

No wonder he'd drunken himself into oblivion and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember anything else. He had no clue how they'd gotten from watching a strip show to waking up with wedding bands on their fingers.

"Nick?" Jess' soft voice came through the door and he wondered how long she'd already tried to get a reaction from him since he'd completely zoned out trying to remember how the hell they'd gotten married. He knew he had to go back out there. And soon. He almost missed her next words, words that were spoken barely above a whisper. "I need you. I can't deal with this on my own. I need ... I need my ... I need my husband."

Hearing her calling him her husband made it even more real and her stumbled words felt like a punch to his stomach. He never could say no to her when she was telling him that she needed him. This time was no exception. Getting up from the floor slowly, he took in a deep breath, his hand tightening around the door knob before he reached for the lock and opened the door gently, leaning against the door frame, giving her a shaky smile.

He could see a whirlwind of emotions crossing her eyes, one of them fear and knowing that his action didn't help in this situation at all, he pulled her into his arms, hearing her letting out a soft sigh as her arms went around his waist and she hugged him back tightly.

"How the hell could that happen, Jess?" Nick murmured into her hair.

"I have no idea." Jess replied softly, leaning back in his arms. "Let's find out what we can, shall we?"

They had left their room and gone in search of the concierge, hoping that he would be able to help them find the chapel they'd been married at and a few hours later Nick pulled open the double door to the chapel, almost retreating immediately as he saw the extravagant interior. Everything was decorated in pink and cyan, a larger than life Elvis statue was standing in one corner, flanked by an Indiana Jones figure while a colossal stuffed tiger was propped up in the other corner.

"How the hell did we not go blind yesterday?" Nick muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in on the tiger and he exclaimed. "Are you freaking kidding me? Is this supposed to be Tigger?"

Jess just burst into laughter, the shocked expression on Nick's face making her laugh even harder. They were in Las Vegas after all. She hadn't expected a classy chapel but she had to admit the decoration of this place was definitely over exaggerated.

"Ahh, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. How are you today?"

Both started as they got addressed like that and swirled around. They definitely needed to get used to this.

Mrs. Jessica Miller. Jess slipped her fingers between his, needed to feel his skin since she suddenly felt a little dizzy, the events of the last hours starting to take a toll on her.

"You didn't need to come down here. I was just wrapping up your package and would have sent it to the Bellagio."

"Package?" Nick asked slightly confused.

"Well, you ordered the whole package. Wedding pictures, recording of the ceremony and a copy of the wedding song."

Nick was too afraid to ask which song they'd chosen because looking at their surroundings he feared it was something horrible. But the chaplain didn't even expect an answer and added quickly. "I'll just fetch it for you then."

They both stared after the man, both a little overwhelmed by the situation and an uncomfortable silence settled over them since neither of them knew what to say right now.

"At least the bands are classy." Nick said softly, finally breaking the silence, stretching his hand out to take a look at the ring. "Not some cheap skull ring or one with an Elvis figure."

"We were so drunk that we both can't remember the ceremony but we were sober enough to find these rings." Jess shook her head, staring into the distance for a few seconds before her gaze returned to his hand. "That's just completely weird. We actually engraved them, too. See!"

Jess reached for his hand, slipping the ring of his finger and showing him the engraving.

"I will always have your back." Nick read the words out loud, tilting his head and shooting her a soft smile before he slipped the ring back on his finger. "At least we didn't choose some cheesy saying but something we both know it's true."

"Here you go." The chaplain came back through the back door, holding an envelope in his hand. "I hope you enjoyed your stay in Vegas and will come back some day."

On the way back to the hotel they both didn't say a word, both lost in their thoughts. Jess was actually dreading to take a look at the pictures and the video. She didn't know what she should expect. They must have been both completely hammered and she'd never imagined that she wouldn't remember her wedding at all when she finally would get married.

This was not how he had wanted it to go. Not that he had given it much thought so far but he would have definitely put a lot of effort into the proposal. Because if he would have ever had enough courage to ask her he would have made sure that he would have swept her off her feet. But now this was all redundant. There hadn't been a proposal. They just jumped right into it and if he was honest, he was shit scared about it. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready for a marriage.

Suddenly it occurred to him that Jess might have also concerns about this whole marriage thing. He didn't even ask her. Maybe she was terrified by the thought to stay married to him. He gave her a quick look out of the corner of his eye while they were standing side by side in the elevator, watching the digits above the door, waiting for the cabin to arrive at their floor.

The moment the door closed behind them Nick had made his decision. He would ask her. If she wanted to get out of it, he should give her the opportunity to call this off. She might not have wanted to call off the relationship but she definitely didn't sign up for such a serious commitment when she had told him that she wanted to take it back.

"Jess? I ..." Nick grabbed her hand, pulling her to the couch and pushing her gently down, he sat down beside her.

"What is it?" Jess asked, watching him intently.

"I was just wondering ... we didn't have the chance to calm down since ... you know ... since we found out that we are married and I know it's a little late to ask you that but ..." Nick took in a deep breath, the next words tumbling out of his mouth. "Do you even want to be married to me? We can get an annulment. I don't know how long it'll take. But you don't have to ..."

"Shut up, Nick." Jess interrupted him, wrapping her hands around his, her eyes searching his before she added softly. "I admit the thought of marriage didn't even cross my mind but I told you the truth. I don't want to give up on this. I don't want to give up on us."

"So we'll stay Mr. and Mrs. Miller?" Nick asked warily.

"Yes. We'll stay husband and wife." Jess leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss against his lips.

"All in?" Nick questioned softly, pulling her into his embrace.

"All in." Jess mumbled against his chest.

They might both not know what they were doing but they would just figure it out on the way. Together.


End file.
